2014 AutoGuide Holiday Gift Guide

If you’re shopping for someone who loves to get their hands dirty then you should consider getting them some new tools for their garage. The Craftsman Jack System is particularly useful because it combines a jack and stands in one tool. There’s also the garage lighting system from Big Ass Light that can help the DIYer in your family work on his ride when it’s dark. A stylish toolbox from Field is a nice idea, but some home-mechanics will also just love a fresh pair of gloves.

Maybe your shopper has a clean garage where they like to hang out. Some new artwork would help spruce it up and Etsy is always the place to go for unique pieces of art. We found this Porsche Spyder patent print, which looks perfect for car geeks. There’s also a selection of high-quality digital prints, including typography in the shape iconic cars like the Mustang. Finally, maybe your car fanatic is a bit of an ad-man, so consider framing up one of these vintage car ads, to get his inner Don Draper drooling.

We’re also fans of these impressive looking sculptures of famous race tracks at Linear Edge.

Car guys love to show off, so get them some duds to express their inner gearhead. Here’s a list of online stores that sell automotive themed clothing that will really get noticed. For example, blipshift’s clothes are all limited time availability, making them each pretty unique. Import Bible’s clothes appeal to those in the modder community, while Enthusiast Apparels’ shirts all have a Top Gear vibe to them. Take a look and consider grabbing a tee, as they’re all pretty inexpensive.

There are quite a few new racing video games out there for a number of platforms. While Forza Motorsport 5 released late last year for the Xbox One, gear heads may like the open-world racing element of Forza Horizon 2 which is available on Xbox One and Xbox 360. For the folks with Playstations, Gran Turismo is still the game to get, but it’s only for PS3. Still it gets updated regularly with awesome new content. Playstation 4 owners may enjoy Driveclub or The Crew, two racing games with huge online ambitions.

Of course, there’s also a ton of racing games for the gamer on the go. There’s Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Need for Speed Shift, Colin McRae Rally and even Asphalt or Real Racing 3 for gamers with either iOS or Android devices.

There’s more to a good looking car than just a wash. Consider getting a whole detailing kit to help get a car to really shine. Don’t forget about clay bars, waxes and polishes, and there’s also the interior to clean up.

Also, don’t be a friend that just gives someone more work to do – consider making the gift really worthwhile by offering to help with the cleaning and detailing.

[ Meguiar’s Complete Auto Care Gift Set or Mother’s Hardcore Enthusiast Car Care Kit]

Nerd alert! If you’re looking to impress a serious geek this holiday season then consider getting them an aftermarket heads-up display unit. Garmin already offers two models that sit on your dashboard and provide you with navigation from a paired smartphone or Garmin navigation system. It can also provide you with caller information.

Another upcoming gadget is the Navdy (pictured), which you can currently pre-order. With voice recognition and gesture recognition, Navdy doesn’t need you to touch anything in order to get working. It is expected to ship early in 2015, so this gift is for the patient person in your life.

Reading a big ‘ol book might not be for everyone, but if you want to make that strong silent type happy, a book might be the perfect gift. Here are a few popular books you can order online. Rivethead shares the story of the working-class American, a fourth-generation factory worker who makes his living in a GM plant in Flint, Michigan. Getting the Bugs Out is a story about Volkswagen and how Hitler’s car for the people, shook off its Nazi roots to become one of the best selling cars in the 1960s, not to mention an icon among automobiles.

Driving Ambition is a story about the McLaren F-1, one of the greatest supercars of all time. With input by Ron Dennis and F-1 designer Gordon Murray, this book give a great inside scoop into the world of one of the coolest car ever made. Finally, Cars: Freedom, Sex, Power, Motion, Color, Everything is a huge book with great photography that chronicles 86 cars that the author believes are the greatest in automotive design.

Is nothing on this list is doing it for you? Do you feel like getting something that will really make someone’s eyes pop out of their head? Then maybe consider getting a vinyl car camo wrap. This is the same stuff you see automakers use on their prototype test cars and mules. It will turn any car into a hard to visualize mess of black and white. Not only that, but the colors mess up the autofocus function of modern digital cameras, making them difficult to properly photograph.